Scenes of Vermont ForumsVermont visitor guide with information about lodging, foliage color, skiing conditions, snowmobiling, bread and puppet theater, living in Vermont, Vermont Photography, Vermont wildlife, hunting and fishing2018-02-08T19:04:36-05:00http://www.scenesofvermont.com/phpbb2/feed.php?mode=topics2018-02-08T19:04:36-05:002018-02-08T19:04:36-05:00http://www.scenesofvermont.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=3841&p=21326#p21326 ), and thinking as always of the planning stages of my next Vermont adventure! There is sooooo much to do and see in Vermont, sometimes even I overwhelm myself. As I am driven by activities in my endless quest for fun and adventure, I've added to my bucket list some places that I have always wanted to go to. I love being busy 24/7 when I'm up in Vermont and here are a few more additions! If you have ever been to these places, feel free to add your impressions, or even add to the bucket list yourself. I may add some more as they come across my itinerary. Because I live so close to VT, I sometimes make a day trip (albeit a VERY long day of driving) to add these places to my long list of amazing adventures in the great state of Vermont!

This place looks enchanting!!! The Visitor Center, the Farm, the Forest. Why have I not been here yet? I just love their mission statement. I saw Merck Forest on so many websites and acclaimed on tripadvisor for it's sheer natural beauty. I see they are also on the Vermont Maple Sugaring Open House Weekend.

i couldn't fit this in during my Manchester foliage weekend in 2017 but will be there for Columbus Day Weekend in 2018 for a longer stay. I think "Dean" from the forum, was the first person who kept posting about it years ago. It looks like a beautiful and fun place to visit. Thus, I have added it to my itin for fall and can't wait! We hope to eat at Cafe Sora!!!!

]]>2018-02-03T07:05:19-05:002018-02-03T07:05:19-05:00http://www.scenesofvermont.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=3840&p=21324#p21324 Last year we did the sugaring houses in SW Mass and that was fun, but nothing like being in Vermont!!!!

Sugaring open house weekend in Vermont is amazing! If you flatlanders are not too far away for a visit, it is well worth a trek into the state. I have found over the past few years, that having an four/all wheel vehicle can be helpful. The mud can be challenging! Some of the roads into the sugar houses can be impassible without the proper car. The variety of sugar houses to visit is wonderful! From tiny, family run operations to large, state of the art facilities, they provide fun for all. The Whitingham event features a craft fair and food in the local school, and with weather-permitting, horse drawn sleigh rides. We go here because it is so close to CT. My absolute favorite place is Corse Farm! The ride into the operation/farm is GORGEOUS! Stone walls parallel the winding dirt road and photo ops abound! Corse has a state of the art evaporator and the folks there are so friendly and proud of their operation, the syrup is amazing. I hope you can visit all the sugar houses open throughout the state. It is one heck of a day's adventure for the family! Check in often as they will be updating the schedules/events over the next few weeks, but you can get an idea of what is coming by scrolling through the previous years listed. Links below:

]]>2018-01-08T20:19:37-05:002018-01-08T20:19:37-05:00http://www.scenesofvermont.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=3839&p=21317#p21317 After this past brutal weekend, just when I thought I could not take one more day, we finally broke with a balmy 31 and 50 degree forecast for Friday. Ahhhhhhhhhh, thoughts of spring flowers and summer beach days and autumn in Vermont have been on my mind since this insane cold snap started on Christmas!

Anyways, on to Vermont planning! I continue to change up my inn venues as I have been thoroughly enjoying bouncing around from B&B to B&B, meeting new people and exploring totally different areas in the great state of Vermont. Last season Manchester and Middlebury were two new stops and I loved every minute tooling around these areas.

To start off, I've decided to stay first in North Bennington (reconnecting with Charles IXL from the forum) and with a friend from Burlington to hike to Lye Brook Falls which I have been reading up on. I am staying at an amazing place with an equestrian stable on premises and also riding nearby at another local stable. After this last weekend in September in North Benn, I'm off to Warren for a few days at a new B&B and then on to Starksboro for a stay at a farm/inn that has caught my attention for the last couple of years. I truly love the Lincoln area and all my favorite back roads, and I know I'll be returning there to cruise around my loops that I found last year. I hope to spend a lot of time in Burlington as well, and finally take my Spirit of the Ethan Allen cruise! Shelburne Farms, shopping on Church Street, and some more hiking are on the agenda. Then it is back to Manchester for a long Columbus Day Weekend so I can hike some more trails in the Equinox Preserve with my Burlington friend. The trail system there is totally amazing! Last year, we couldn't try the Bromley zip lines due to the one rainy day, so that is back on the schedule!

So I am all booked and deposited and very optimistic that we WILL have a better foliage season than 2017. I just love being in Vermont regardless, and take every opportunity to soak it all in with friends and activities galore to make my time there the best that I possibly can. I will be up for a few visits after sugaring season to enjoy summer adventures, but most of all, my heart beckons me to autumn in Vermont!

So friends, it is not too early to start planning (or at least thinking about) your Vermont fall excursions! We're just 8 months and 2 weeks away to countdown!

]]>2017-12-23T06:48:07-05:002017-12-23T06:48:07-05:00http://www.scenesofvermont.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=3838&p=21315#p21315A note to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a healthy and safe 2018 for you and your family. We are expecting a white Christmas here in the northeast and the first one since 2012 for northern CT. Picture perfect!

Once 2018 rolls around, thoughts will be turning to Vermont Sugaring Season and then on to fall foliage planning!

Right now, we are in an ice storm and everything is coated in layers of ice. Treacherous out there! Mother Nature has been active here with another snow storm forecast for New Year's weekend. I'm not a true fan of winter, but it is still a beautiful season for outdoor activities and photography.

]]>2017-12-08T19:43:37-05:002017-12-08T19:43:37-05:00http://www.scenesofvermont.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=3837&p=21314#p21314 I'm not recalling a snowfall this early in December with the number of inches predicted but it should be quite pretty. The houses are all decorated with beautiful lights and décor and paired with the holiday spirit, I'm looking forward to the seeing our first flakes pile up. Get the cameras out for some wonderful winter snow scenes!

Alas.....when this storm melts, I will continue with my fall cleanup............

]]>2017-11-17T17:55:43-05:002017-11-17T17:55:43-05:00http://www.scenesofvermont.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=3835&p=21310#p21310GREEN trees, like summer. The ones that were starting to turn so late in the season, and were once beautiful in past years, succumbed to the cold (our first frost arrived the the other day and some light snow in the hill towns) and basically crunched out and sailed away with the high winds into the wild blue yonder. As I mentioned before, my Norway maples in the back are still green, very unusual! My neighbors and I are still mowing green lawns as well.

I must say, stick season can be beautiful in itself. You can see far out into the woods and discover ancient stone walls criss crossing the fields or find ponds, lakes and streams, once hidden by the dense foliage. I love this time of year. It feels great to be out raking and enjoying the blissful sunshine on your face. Everyone is out in their yards talking about the weird foliage season this year and wondering why some of the trees are still full!

Even some waterfalls are more visible and appear in places where you may have driven by or hiked in the past and never noticed them. Hiking into the forest can open up the vistas more than ever now; I've discovered farms set up on hillsides that were once hidden in autumn. And the bugs are gone!!! This is the time to be outdoors and enjoy nature and that wonderful, musky smell of fallen leaves and the rich earth. It just feels so damn good!

Just had to share this image my daughter just sent me of their Halloween celebration in Littleton, NH. I think it's just magical! Wish I could've be there, might have to stay the whole month next year! Would love to see pics of other local festivities!